Tag Archive: RealTechniques by Samantha Chapman

I was browsing around Ulta.com, looking at Ecotools brushes and saw pictures of these brushes in the side bar. The color and the shape of the blush brush is what grabbed my attention. I did a little research, ok googling, and saw that these were by Samantha Chapman, one half of Pixiwoo. I don’t follow them religiously, so I had no idea that they were coming out with these. Since they are one of the best Youtube gurus, not because they are the most popular, but they do professional videos with a lot of great tips, and have exceptional skills, I couldn’t wait to buy these and try them out.

These are made by Paris Pesents Inc, the same company that makes Ecotools, and right now they are available at Ulta.com and in Ulta stores. The Real Techniques website will have them for sale in May.

The collection includes 3 full sets, and 7 individual brushes. The ferrules are color coded and made out of aluminum, right away they reminded me of Sephora’s I.T. brushes and the shape of them reminded of Armani’s brushes, just a little. 🙂

There are 3 collections, and 3 complete brush sets:

Your base/flawless:

The ferrules are gold.

The core collection brush set includes a detailer brush, pointed foundation brush, buffing brush, contour brush, and a panoramic case.

Travel set: it includes an essential foundation brush, multi-task brush, and a domed shadow brush. It also includes the panoramic case.

The brushes are made of ultra plush taklon bristles (100% cruelty free), and hand cut, which allows for precise application from dense coverage to a soft, delicate finish. I was able to get my hands on all of the brushes except the brow groomer, and the travel collection. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I love the color coordinated aluminum ferrules, and that the name of the brush is stamped on it. It makes them look very sleek. They are light weight, not too long and not too short, so they fit comfortably in your hands. Most of them have a flat bottom so they can stand on their own. All of the brushes are very soft and dense. Even though I lost a few hairs in the buffing, stippling, kabuki, and shading brushes, I am impressed. The panoramic case is nice, but don’t expect to put any more brushes in it except for the ones included, or else it will get bulky. Also, the bands are very tight and it makes getting the brushes in and out, difficult.

I found the brush heads on the foundation and detail brush too small to work for their intended purpose. It would take a long time to cover my whole face with one of these brushes. Plus, I honestly prefer a stippling or buffer brush for foundation. When I took the detail brush out of the panormic case, I noticed that it was bent. It makes me wonder how durable these ferrules will be in the long run. I think the foundation brush would be good for concealer and the detail brush will be good for small blemishes or as a lip brush.

I also thought the crease brush was huge, the shader brush looks like a tapered MAC 217, but not as dense, and I am not sure how the pixel-point eyeliner brush is going to work. It seems like it will be difficult to work with and will create a fat line. The smudge brush is small, but is the right size for the job.

I used the angle brow brush to groom my brows, and it did a good job of setting them in place. Much better than the SK spoolie I use.

The angled foundation brush is nice, but I do find it a bit flimsy and the brush head is small. The angle makes it perfect for getting into tiny areas on the face.

The powder brush is nice. It is soft, but not as soft as the blush or contour brush. That was a bit disappointing, but it is still a nice brush overall.

So far, I love the stippling and blush brush. I love the shape and softness of the blush brush. It puts the color exactly where you need it, it is not too fat, and the color applied in one stroke, without any streaks or blotches. The stippling brush is soft, and dense, not as dense as a 130, but still has a nice feel to it. The Kabuki brush is soft, but I just haven’t figured out why I need it to open yet. Another contour brush? I’ll just have to check out the how to videos on the site.

The contour and buffing brush are also standouts. On the buffing brush, the packaging states that it is ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation. It is luxuriously soft and big enough to use all over the face, but small enough to get in the nooks and crannies. It can be used with liquids and powder products. It reminded me of theSigma F82. I did shed a few stray hairs.

I love the contour brush, it is like the baby blush brush as far as shape, but it is smaller, and fits into the contour of my cheeks perfectly.

To sum it all up.
There are three collections: base, eyes, and finish, with color coded ferrules, gold, purple, and pink.
The name of the brand and type of brush is stamped on them (NICE!). I found the brushes to be really soft and dense overall. There were a few standouts, the contour, buffing, and blush brush. One was slightly scratchy, a few of the brush heads are really small and some seem too large, and I’m concerned about the durability of the aluminum ferrules in a few of the smaller brushes. However, I still think these brushes are great, especially for beginners. I think I am in love with the blush and contour brush. The shape, size and density are perfect for what I need. *swoon*

I also think I know what my first giveaway is going to be ;-)!!!

Once I have used all of the brushes, I will provide the links for reviews of each brush and how they performed. Stay tuned!!!